Page 66 of I Hate You More

“What color highlighter do you use for hot date?” he asked.

I wished I could smile at his enthusiasm, but too many nerves were still churning in my gut, and everything about this felt wrong. I silently passed him the pink highlighter, and he tilted his head as he took it.

“What does pink stand for?” he asked.

“Anything that can’t be missed.”

His smile grew larger at my explanation. He highlighted the new entry on the calendar and popped the lid back on the pen before stepping back from my desk. “I guess I better let you get back to your homework, but I’m looking forward to Saturday.”

I nodded, unable to say the same aloud.

Once he left my room, I couldn’t stop staring at my calendar. It was the first time any part of the plan had been set in stone, and looking at it now, I couldn’t feel more uncertain about whether I was doing the right thing. The one thought that brought me some small relief was the fact it would all be over come Saturday.

22

Chase

I foundit difficult to concentrate at school on Friday. I had a date on Saturday with Ally Lockwood, and I couldn’t seem to wrap my mind around it. What was even more baffling was the fact I was actually looking forward to it. It was like some kind of twisted joke that the girl I couldn’t stand was also the one who had captured my attention and held it hostage since the start of senior year.

The truth was, Ally had always held part of my attention. Even though we hadn’t gotten along in years, I’d always noticed her more than other girls. I’d seen her laughing in the cafeteria with her friends and constantly tripping over her own feet between classes. I’d watched her when she was getting tutoring in the library with Miles. I hadn’t been able to drag my eyes away when she used to perform her dances in the school talent shows. I’d always told myself that I watched her so closely because I was keeping an eye on my enemy, but I was beginning to realize that it was simply because, when it came to Ally, I couldn’t look away.

I was completely mesmerized by her, and the closer I got to Ally, the more I realized the things I thought I couldn’t stand about her were actually the things I could never do without. I enjoyed the way we butted heads and how she wasn’t afraid to call me out when I was being a jerk. She was like a breath of fresh air compared with all the other girls at school who acted like I could do no wrong. I was far from perfect, and the fact that Ally wasn’t blind to my faults made me feel like she saw the real me.

Shane snapped a finger in front of my face, waking me out of my daze. The sounds of the cafeteria came flooding back into my world, and I glanced at my friend, embarrassed I’d been caught zoning out while thinking about his sister.

“Thanks for joining us,” Shane said with a laugh. “Dude, you’ve been in a daze all lunch.”

“I guess I have a bit on my mind.”

“Like what?”

The truth was that his sister was on my mind, but I didn’t think he’d understand if I told him. Shane was pretty cool, and I doubted he’d have a problem with Ally and I dating, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready to drop that on him yet. Maybe I would see how things went between Ally and I on Saturday and then decide whether to tell him or not.

“This and that,” I replied vaguely.

“Sounds thrilling.”

I laughed at the sarcasm in Shane’s voice. “It’s really nothing interesting. Just thinking about a text my mom sent me this morning.” It wasn’t a total lie. Mom’s text had been on my mind but not nearly to the extent that Ally had been.

“Oh yeah? What did she say?”

“Just that she can’t wait to see me.” It wasn’t a particularly unusual message to receive, but it got me thinking that I really needed to check when she and Dad were coming home. I hadn’t seen them since I left L.A., and I wasn’t in any hurry for them to come visit. Dad and I rarely saw eye to eye, and living at the Lockwoods’ was a little like being on vacation. It was nice to come home every night and not be concerned about the latest thing I’d done to disappoint him.

“When are they coming to visit?” Shane asked.

“No idea, but it must be sometime soon. Mom said it would be about once a month.”

“So you don’t know?”

“I have a list of their dates somewhere.” I shrugged. I couldn’t have been more different than Ally in that regard. I tended not to plan ahead in life, but she probably would have had their visits printed in block letters and circled on that infamous calendar of hers.

“Have you seen the calendar in your sister’s room?” I asked.

Shane laughed. “Her most prized possession aside from her Kindle? No, can’t say I have.”

I grinned. “It’s a little weird, right?”

“I guess she likes to feel in control of things,” he said. “What were you doing in Ally’s room anyway?”

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